


Department Drinks

by JLKnox



Category: The Rook (TV 2019)
Genre: Fluff and Humor, Karaoke, Manipulation, One Shot, Public Makeouts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-29
Updated: 2019-08-29
Packaged: 2020-09-29 22:48:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20443838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JLKnox/pseuds/JLKnox
Summary: A one-shot in an AU where Myf and Gestalt have been together long enough to be an open secret, but recently enough that they're still in their bubble and not going out together. Ingrid forces karaoke. Hilarity ensues.





	Department Drinks

**Author's Note:**

  * For [klaatu_varata_nikto](https://archiveofourown.org/users/klaatu_varata_nikto/gifts).

> This was in response to a prompt from the Discord Rookery.  
You guys are horrible for my career work-ethic. 
> 
> If you don't know the songs referenced, here are links:  
[Tiffany ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6Q3mHyzn78)  
[ Zombies ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHZg2lv2Doc)  
[ Troggs ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bCGacIl2f0)

At quarter-six, Ingrid wheels herself into Myf’s office, where Alex is ostensibly speaking with her about something work-related 15 minutes before office hours end. Indeed – everyone believes that: everyone.

“You five – it has been way too long since Myfanwy has come out for department drinks and I, for one, miss her. Now do your social duty and join us at the pub, or I will be enjoying a chat with the vetting officer tamorrow.”

Even looking up, Ingrid can fix the lovebirds with a stare that manages to seem like she’s glaring down her nose. The two exchange a glance, and Myf laughs. Ingrid crosses her arms, and Myf is loving it, waiting to see who wins the stare-off. Alex has a look on his face, like, “Can you believe this?” Ingrid coughs, expecting an answer. No matter how he fixes his face, he knows it’s the wrong body to take down the fierceness that is Ingrid.

“Yah, awright. Guess we can do.” Gestalt gives her a smirk and a shrug that he hopes communicates that this is his choice and not caving to pressure. Yeah, right. No one – at least in this office – is fooled.

“And once we get there – only _one_ of you gets to sit with Myf. Mingle with your co-workers, and let the rest of us have a chance to catch up!”

Alex chews his lip and cracks his knuckle. This is getting a little less consensual.

“Wait up, Ing, let me get my coat,” calls Myfanwy as her assistant exits the office.

\---

The mob that is Gestalt surrounds Myf as they walk to the pub around the corner. If they can’t all sit with her, they can make the most of this time. The boys walk behind, enjoying the scenery, and Eliza and Myf walk hand-in-hand like schoolgirls, enjoying a companionable silence, but both grinning. They walk as slow as they possibly can, but the pub isn’t far. Since the Checquy is in an odd pocket of town, the only place with accommodations for Ingrid is fairly empty.

Most of the pawns and a few knights are there…and they have already commandeered the karaoke machine.

“No.” comes a strong, unison syllable from Gestalt. They all look at Myf with resolve in their eyes. “Absolutely not.” Myf laughs and reassures them that no one will expect the Rooks to sing, and they can definitely gang up on anyone who pressures them. “Gang up on Ingrid? Right. You saw how well that worked a few minutes ago,” comes Robert’s retort. All four cross their arms, plant their heels, and nearly refuse to sit down.

“Don’t worry,” says Ingrid, “It’s a lark. Everyone makes fun of everyone and we see who can be the biggest goof. No one spects you to actually be able to carry a tune. Have a drink or four and maybe you’ll enjoy it.”

Gestalt fix Myf with a quick stare and raise an eyebrow, like ‘see?’, and move to the bar in synch. “Tequila,” comes the perfectly chorused reply.

Ingrid calls over her shoulder, “Everyone sings. Each. Individual. Person.” Laughing, she adds, “For _fun_.”

NewMyf is into it in a way she would never have been before. With her anxieties released, she sings a duet of “I Got You, Babe” with Ingrid at the top of the night. Gestalt moves to whisky, and everyone orders food and apps. They pick at the nibbles because the purpose is to get completely wasted and hope that if Ingrid manages to strongarm them – _them! _For crissakes – that at least they won’t remember the indignation.

Robert’s been sitting with Myfanwy during what passes for a ‘meal’, but they’ve all been switching out during the night. Maybe? This is whisky number eight, so things are pleasantly blurry. NewMyf turns and takes his hand. “I know this isn’t how you wanted to spend tonight, but I think you’re gonna like my next song. And maybe…I mean… I think it would mean a lot to the staff if you joined in. Maybe they have some Black Veil Bride or My Chemical Romance?” She has a fit of giggles – it’s an inside joke that Robert is totally emo, when really Gestalt prefers golden oldies. “Maybe Ingrid will let you do a group song? Since you’re really only one person?”

Ears-like-a-bat-Ingrid says “NO.” From across the table. “Every. Body.” Robert fixes her with a poisonous glare that she can feel from a distance. She’s buzzed enough that she’s not going to win another staredown. “Alright,” she laughs, “Compromise. Two duets. Do it.” She pounds on the table, and the others start chanting, “Du-et. Do it. Du-et. Do it.” Teddy whirls up, gives them his best intimidation stare, and scribbles two song names at the bottom of the list.

“The next singer … is My-Fan-Why…is there a My-Fan-Why here?”

Myf gets up and says, “It’s Miff-an-ee…” and starts giggling again. Cripes, how many has she had? “Like Tiffany!!”

A fake drum beat starts up and she flails around the stage like it’s the 80’s. Of course. She knows Gestalt would prefer the Shondells, and while both versions are humorous in content…only Tiffany has the rhyme.

She’s in the crowd with the mic now, singing at Eliza, “And then you put your arms around me,” she twirls to the right so she’s in front of Alex, “And we tumble to the right,” and then moves to Teddy, “and then we say…’I think we’re alone now! There doesn’t seem to be any-one a-rou-ound!” She stares deep into Eliza’s eyes again, “I think we’re alone now.” While still staring, she grabs Robert’s hand and puts it on his heart, “The beating of our hearts is the only sou-ound.”

Alex snorts and grins, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. People will believe he finds it funny. It’s a little funny. Myf keeps mugging, switching between bodies, but Teddy keeps up his not-amused act. In fact, alright, Gestalt thinks it is cute. Sweet, even, and funny. When the song finishes, Alex grins and hugs her, lifting her up.

“Ooooh, we have a group act for you next, are the Zombie Twins ready to go?” calls the announcer. Robert rises, blankfaced, and Eliza goes up with him as a country twang starts playing on the machine. Alex gives Myf a little eyebrow raise and nods up toward the stage.

Robert spins the mic on his palm and puts it up to his mouth. “Can’t nobody love you, like I’m loving you baaa-by. ‘Cause they don’t know how to love you like I do.” He gives a dimpled grin and thumbs his nose cheekily. The bass kicks in, picking up like a Country-Western song, but then it slows to a soul-jam and his voice travels over the riffs with emotion. When a female chorus joins in, Eliza – stonefaced – does a little sidestep and sings softly, “Can’t nobody kiss you… oooooh…oooh…oooh….” But when the bridge comes and it calls for significant soul chops, she steps it up and Robert drops back. “Listen now! Sam bought you cake and ice cream – called you cherry pie. Ray Charles called you Sunshine … but you’re the APPLE, the APPLE OF MY EYE!” belting and sustaining the notes, vocalizing impressive riffs while making intense, uninterrupted eye contact with the frozen-still tipsy Myf. “No they DON’T KNOW HOW to LOVE you, like I dooooo-oooo-ooooyeahhhhhh…” Eliza fades out, pulling the microphone away and barely distant from her girlfriend’s lips.

Even the MC is stunned into silence, and then the whole crowd applauds. The women keep staring at each other, panting, and Eliza’s held the mic away from their bodies so no one can hear their breaths. Alex comes around Eliza’s side, gently removing the microphone, and nods at the announcer.

“Right. Ah, yeah. Uhm, imma go take a shower while we have Teddy and Alex up here for ya. Phewwww!”

A jaunty guitar riff begins, heavy with drums, and Alex’s red track suit pogos along with it. Eventually Myf tears her eyes away from Eliza and starts laughing at his boyish antics. Those curls bounce as the intro rolls into the verse and he moves aside for Teddy. He smooths his hair, stares out into the crowd intensely, and sings an octave too low: “I. Wanna spend my life. Wit a girl like you.” He points directly at Myf, turning that eye contact right on her. Grinning, Alex does the “Ba-ba-bup-ba-baaahh”s His higher-pitched voice gets extra nasal as he does a perfect Troggs impression. Teddy looks away, pensive – pointedly NOT participating in any ba-bups. "Do. All the things. Thatcha wan me to." Alex is still jumping to the beat, and miming along to the words, singing the bups. Teddy's unbroken gaze is locked on Myf's as he sings, "'Till that time has come vat we might live as one -- Can I dance wif you?" It's like there's no one else in the room, the way they're looking at each other. Alex takes over the verses for a bit, bringing the mood in the room up again. When he gets to “I can tell, by the way you dress, that you’re so refined”, he gestures back to Teddy, who comes up, straightening his suitcoat, with a very haughty look on his face, exaggerating for effect, sliding a hand over his slicked-back hair and Alex mocks Teddy's accent by singing, “An’ by t’way you tawk – ‘at yer juss my kind” which gets him shot a dirty look, and Teddy takes the vocals back.

“Girl why shuld it be? Vat you don notice me?” Teddy jumps down off the stage to Myf and puts out his hand in a fake Victorian bow. “Can I dance wif you?” Alex is doing high-kicks and pogos on the stage to the double-line of ba-bups as Myf takes Teddy’s hand and he leads her in a slow-dance box-step, completely out of sync with the tempo of the song.

Teddy breaks away and gets on his knee, finally grinning and laughing. He belts out, “Baby baby – is there no chance?” reaching his hand up and gesturing emphatically, “I can take you – for the last dance?” He stands up quickly, grabbing Myf and spinning her into him. He buries his face into her hair and sings into her ear so softly the mic has a hard time picking it up, “All night long, yeah, I been waitin,” a breathless growl. He pulls her even closer, almost obscenely, into him, so she’s bending backwards with his hand in the small of her back. “Now fere be no hes-i-ta-tin”. He drops the mic and devours her mouth, grabbing her behind her ear, nearly crawling into her – in front of everyone.

Eliza picks up the mic and Alex continues the verse, with Robert & Eliza on ba’s, as they move between the crowd and the two making out. “I just hope and pray, that I’ll find a way to say, can I dance with you?” sings Alex, raising eyebrows and laughing, taking the crowd along with him.

The couple breaks apart as the song fades out. The MC gives a “Um, yeah. Popular lady. Well it’s last call everyone, so thanks and have a great night!”

Teddy stands up, straightens his hair and his jacket before walking over to Ingrid. Facing her, he leans his weight on her wheels with his hands.

“Lissen, Ing. I know ya tryn ta do rite by yer friend, an you got as much right t’her as I do.” His low growl gets slightly softer as he says, “An I can tell she ‘ad fun tonite, so there’s that.” He hardens his face and squeezes her wheels again as he says, “But now you ain’t got any leverage. An I will _not_ be manipulated _again._” He cocks his head for her and waits for a reply. Her whole body tense, she gives a small nod. Robert and Eliza come over and say in twin-time, “But we will try to share and come out more often.” Alex bounds over with a grin. “Fanks for the invite!” And the entire group surrounds Myfanwy to walk her home.


End file.
